


Routine

by Nope



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-05-02
Updated: 2003-05-02
Packaged: 2018-12-23 10:57:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11988390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nope/pseuds/Nope
Summary: Percy is neat and meticulous in all things.





	Routine

Percy wakes up every morning at five twenty seven. He opens his eyes -- he sleeps on his back on the left of the bed in his slate grey pyjamas, legs together, hands at his sides, flat against the sheets -- and stares at the ceiling, breathing. He slowly inhales, pulling air down to the diaphragm. He exhales just as slowly. He feels cotton sliding over and ribs sliding under skin. He inhales. He exhales. He breathes in and out and in and out thirty times and at exactly half five the alarm sounds a single perfect chime. Percy touches his lips to Penelope's cheek.

Percy swings his legs round and sits for a moment at the edge of the bed, carefully stretching his arms and rolling his head around his shoulders. He stands at the end of the bed, touches his fingers to his toes and then to the ceiling, three times with his left hand, three times with his right. Penelope turns over in her sleep and makes a little noise, halfway between a sigh and a whimper. Percy goes into the bathroom.

Percy stands on the bathroom mat and unbuttons his pyjamas from the bottom to the top, carefully pushing out each button in turn. He undoes the cuffs before taking his top off, folds the arms in neatly, and then folds it in half. He takes off his trousers, lines the legs up, and folds them too in half. He places them neatly on top of the wash basket. He urinates and shakes off, no more than three times. He defecates and wipes carefully. Percy leaves the seat down, wipes it once for luck and drops the tissue in the small bin.

Percy examines himself in the mirror, naked except for the brushed steel watch he wears always on his left wrist. He is tall, thin and well built although, no matter how carefully he arranges himself at night, he always wakes with bed mussed hair. He turns the shower on, full power and half a turn above cold. He wets down, flattening his hair to his scalp with a slow press of fingers, and turns the water off. He scrubs himself down with the camomile and salt soap scrub bar until his skin is pink and glistening. He carefully rubs a small amount of the fresh mint shampoo into his hair and scalp. He turns the water back and rinses himself thoroughly. Percy dries himself in the stall before he steps back out onto the mat.

Percy cleans his teeth. He brushes first left to right, then top to bottom and finally front to back. He carefully flosses. He shaves with a German Stay Sharp straight razor made from triple-folded steel with a branded ivory handle. He shaves first his left cheek, then his right, then slides the blade up his throat to his chin. He rinses the blade clean, dries it, and places it back in its safety sheath under the small pyramid that keeps it sharp. He splashes his face then runs the tap a little and cleans the last of the cut ginger whiskers out of the porcelain sink. Percy uses a pair of small silver scissors to keep his pubic hair neatly trimmed.

Percy takes the bathrobe off the hook on the back of the door. He ties it around his waist and steps out into the corridor to greet a yawning Penelope. He kisses her cheek. He goes back into the bedroom she has vacated and sits down at the small desk. He opens the left hand draw and takes out a satin-backed hairbrush. He watches his reflection in the three angled mirrors, straightening his hair, brushing from the centre to his left ear, again to the right, and then down the back. Percy has his hair short, brushed away from his face and cut once every three weeks.

Percy puts on the clothes he laid out the previous evening. He first puts on the white pants, grey socks, and black trousers, before taking off the bathrobe. He puts a cornflower blue cotton shirt, pushing each button through the hole carefully from top to bottom. He puts on and twists a plain navy blue tie into a Nelson knot which hangs with both tails the same length. He slides heavy blue, almost black robes over the top. He hooks his thin gold framed glasses behind his ears. Percy examines himself in the mirror and carefully straightens his collar.

Percy only ever has a small breakfast. He has a single boiled egg (served in a small steel egg cup) and two slices of toast (without butter). He has a glass of milk, a small coffee (black, no sugar) and a piece of fruit. He sometimes has an apple. He sometimes has an orange. He picks up his briefcase and the kitchen clock chimes the first of six. He kisses Penelope on the second. Percy steps out onto the doorstep on the third and Apparates before the fourth sounds.

Percy heads the Department of International Magical Cooperation. He has the first office on the second floor of the Ministry of Magic, with the number 21 and his name and title on the door but he does not Apparate there directly. He appears instead in the safe point on King's Cross station, transfigures his outer robes into a dark blue, almost black, trench-coat, and steps out into the crowd. He purchases a ticket for the underground. He stands on the right on all the stairs, holding his briefcase in front of him. Percy likes to watch the Muggles on the platform, but he always takes the Wizard carriage when the tube arrives.

Percy picks up a copy of the Daily Prophet and, ignoring the headlines, turns first to scan the obituaries and then to the crossword. He reads each of the clues in turn, making sure he knows where they are on the grid. He closes the paper, folds it neatly in thirds, and puts it in his briefcase. He moves towards the doors and the train stops at the Ministry of Magic's private platform. Percy looks down the train to see the Muggles staring obliviously at the tunnel walls.

Percy gets in to work at eighteen minutes past six. He bows his head to the gargoyle and taps his wand three times against the bricks. He stops in reception to say good morning and pick up any notices and messages that have not yet made their way to the office. He climbs the stairs to the second floor, opens his door, puts his briefcase down next to his desk, sits down in his chair and prepares himself for the day ahead. He starts each work day at six thirty in the morning and tries to finish at six in the evening, although it is most often later.

Percy is dedicated that way.

~

Percy's morning passes quickly. He fields a query on flying carpets and another on amulet import regulations. He directs Spain's request for tighter customs security to the Department of Law Enforcement. He refers France's requests for more cross-channel Apparation points to Department of Magical Transportation and when they came back to complain about safety issues, he sends them to the Department of Law Enforcement as well. He slowly but surely empties his inbox while his outbox fills with scrolls of his small, neat writing. Percy taps the tray with his wand to send them out at nine thirty, and again at twelve thirty, when he stops for lunch.

Percy walks down to the first floor then changes his mind. He backtracks to the second floor, then continues up to the third and knocks on a door to the left of the stairwell. He says, "I'm sorry to bother you." He says, "I was just wondering if you'd heard anything about my request for a transfer." He says, "I know it's a step down, but I'd like to do it, and I really think I could make a difference." He doesn't mention that there's nowhere to be promoted to in his current position. He doesn't mention that his last four requests for an assistant went unnoticed. He's doesn't mention that he's doing the work of two people on two thirds of the salary of the equivalent position in other departments. Percy keeps quiet about a lot of things.

Percy takes the seat offered. He politely declines to take a drink. He sits with his legs neatly together and his hands in his lap. He does not fidget while scrolls are sorted through. He listens politely while he is told he has "a great deal of skill and due diligence but no real talent." He nods politely while he is told that he "lacks the passion that separates the great members of the Ministry from the herd." He smiles politely while he is told that "at the moment, the best place for you is clearly right where you are" and to "stick to your depth, Peter". He swallows the correction, "Percival" catching in his throat, and stands and takes the offered limp, sweaty, handshake and manages not to rub his hand on his robe until after the office door closes behind him. Percy stares blankly at the wall for a while, and then goes back down the stairs.

Percy does not take lunch. He answers a scroll, and another. He takes out his paper, stares at the crossword for a moment, and then fills in each answer in turn, first across, then down, then ticks them off. He forms each letter with a brief economy of strokes and brushes the tip of his quill against his lips at the end of every word. He refolds the paper and replaces it in his briefcase. He stares at his desk and thinks about nothing in particular. Percy sits there for a long, quiet time.

Percy glances at his watch when there is a knock at the door and sees that the minute hand is just to the left of three o'clock. His watch is a masterpiece of clockwork and steel, tightly wound and perfectly timed. He watches the second hand sweep in a perfect half circle. He says "come in". He does not look up until a shadow falls over the clock face. He constructs a smile and says "Miss Granger." He nods when she says "Hermione, please, Percy," and asks her what's in the case she's carrying. Percy watches her smile and place it on her desk and wonders if she realises she outranks him until he sees the contents of the case.

Percy is not easily impressed. He has seen the standards and regulations governing the manufacture of almost everything, and he knows how far from close to meeting them most people come. He has seen hundreds of thousands of pieces of equipment and none so perfect as this. He takes a small knife from the case, from this kit that would satisfy even the most stringent of potions masters, holding it up to the light. He admires the way light breaks off the blade. He hefts it and is amazed by the lightness and perfect balance of the shaped steel. He doesn't quite hear Hermione talking about Department restructuring and Japanese markets opening, or about new forms of magic or standards of potion making or the new import controls they're going to need. Percy doesn't hear her at all.

Percy sees Hermione idly pick up a paring knife. He is about to tell her to be careful when her thumb slips and catches against the blade. He catches the knife as she drops it, and her wrist with his other hand, turning the wound to see. He watches crimson swell on pale skin, drip, fall, stain parchment. He does not let go, even when Hermione complains he is hurting her. He brings her hand to his lips. He realises he is still holding the knife in his other hand.

Percy tastes copper on his tongue.

~

Percy leaves work. He walks out of reception. He gets on the tube. He pats his briefcase as he stands on the escalators. He walks into the cubicle with the "out of order" sign on the door. He Apparates home. He kisses Penelope on the lips. He smiles when she blushes and says "You're home early." He puts his briefcase on the kitchen table and pulls her close. He smiles when she reaches up and straightens his collar. His smile does not change when she frowns, brushing her fingers against it, and asks "is this blood?" His fingers twitch. He tells her he must have cut himself shaving. He nods when she tells him to take it off, so she can clean it, and goes to find her wand. He takes off his robe putting it next to his briefcase, which he opens. He takes out its contents and lays them out on the table, side by side, in order of size. He admires the way they still shine even after he was forced to clean them with substandard products. He smiles and goes out into the lounge and smiles and hands Penelope his shirt and keeps smiling until she smiles too, and then he tells her he has something to show her in the kitchen and he smiles and she smiles and he lets her walk ahead of him.

Percy is polite and meticulous in all things.


End file.
